What are the stories you told yourself? How are those stories making you suffer after so long? How has your childhood affected the person you are now?
Childhood trauma and its reverberations are the topics French-Congolese musician ARA discusses in her debut EP The Stories I Told Myself.
One of the greatest power music has, is to unite people. We tend to see ourselves reflected in the stories singers wrote, feeling understood by the artists who share with us a piece of their existence.
This is exactly what happens with ARA’s new songs. We understand a little bit more about ourselves listening to her music. This five-track EP explores childhood trauma, revealing how the stories we believe in and tell ourselves perpetuate our own suffering.
ARA, now living in Berlin, says “I held the belief that the trauma I’ve experienced had something to do with me. I believed that I was unlovable and brought more self–fulfilling prophecies and pain in my life. Shedding light on those stories helped me dissipate those limiting beliefs and see myself more clearly: as a vulnerable, complex, and worthy human being”.
The leading single of “The Stories I Told Myself” is called “Stay Away” and depicts how past deceptive relationships can negatively affect future ones. “Above Water”, the second track of ARA’s EP, is an intimate homage to past versions of herself that helped build the foundation for who she is now.
This powerful and striking project is the result of a life spent in the company of music. Her journey through this art started when ARA’s father passed his CD player on to her eight-year-old daughter, who became quickly passionate about pop and R&B music.
Listen to ARA’s new EP on Spotify below
#Peace.Love.ARA
